I am enrolled in a class at the local Woodcraft where we will build a workbench and I have some questions and concerns that I am looking for help and advise on. I have seen an example of the bench that we will build and it does look sturdy. It is made out of Southern Yellow Pine. The top will be laminated 2x4s and will be about 3 1/2" thick. The legs look like they are made from 2 laminated 2s4s and are therefore about 3 1/2" x 3 1/2". All of this sounds OK to me except for the following...
They say there will not be time during the class to customize the top to fit any specific vises. So the top will be one solid 3 1/2" thick surface. My concern is around adding a tail vise. Since I am new to woodworking, I am not really confident in my ability to add a tail vise to this top. From what I have seen online, it looks like I would need to do major excavation of the top to install a tail vise. Am I wrong about this or will this indeed be a lot of work? Or are there other good options for adding a tail vise?
And then on the face or front vise, will I have problems due to the top being 3 1/2" thick with no skirt? When I look at installation instructions for front vises, it looks like the tops are thinner than 3 1/2" and then there is a front skirt added.
Thanks for your suggestions.
Pat